The longtime press secretary for Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has resigned after his boss suspended him over an alleged incident last month involving sexual harassment against a fellow staffer.
Avi Small submitted his resignation on Friday, the governor’s office confirmed. The top aide was previously on leave pending an investigation into his misconduct.
The alleged incident occurred on June 16 when the governor’s staff went on a retreat in Albany. Small was accused of inappropriately touching a male staffer at a bar in a complaint filed with the executive chamber.
Shortly afterward, Small was placed on administrative leave last week. He was not informed of the nature of the complaint, the New York Times reported.
Small was also the subject of a prior complaint in early 2024 for allegedly berating staffers, Politico reported. He reportedly yelled at and reprimanded younger employees on the governor’s communications team for making mistakes in press releases, creating a hostile work environment.
Additionally, he reportedly discussed his sex life with certain staffers at work.
Hochul assumed office in August 2021 after former Gov. Andrew Cuomo resigned due to a sexual harassment scandal involving multiple women who worked for New York State.
Cuomo harassed at least 11 women, according to a report from New York Attorney General Letitia James. A subsequent report from the Department of Justice found he harassed at least 13 women over eight years. Cuomo has denied the accusations.
After taking office nearly four years ago, Hochul said she wouldn’t tolerate any sexual harassment or other misconduct. She has since created a human resources department within the state’s executive chamber and required employees to participate in anti-harassment training.
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“Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any workplace, and certainly not in public service,” Hochul said after the state attorney general’s 2021 investigation into Cuomo.
Small had been a deputy for the Democratic governor since 2021 before becoming her press secretary in 2023. The two were reportedly close.
